Fuse-box.



No. 825,333. PATENTED JULY 10, 1906. P. 0. MORGANTHALER. FUSE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1905.

l t o. a t r h fi m m n? e r Z V O -|nm e J ma s C Z mm H x b t w e P 3 Z. 5 Q M my m a .7 2 y M 5m M 4 W M y v l I Will!- 4 M Mil? Z M "Milli/Ill? J M I 2 Witnesses :p

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER O. MORGANTHALER, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FUSE-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER O. MORGAN- THALER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Wayne, county of Allen, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Fuse-Boxes, of which the fol owing is a specification.

This invention relates to thermal cut-outs and its object is to provide such a cut-out for a three-wire system of distribution so arranged that if a customer attempts toshortcircuit one side of the system in order to stop his wattmeter the other side will also be cut out automatically and all three legs of the system open-circuited.

In a three-wire system the field-magnet of the wattmeter comprises two coils, one of which is in series with one side or leg of the system and the other with the other side, While the armature-coils are connected across the outside conductors of the system. It is customary to provide a fuse in each leg of the system. Now b removing or blowing either one of the outsi e fuses the potential circuit will be opened, and thus the wattmeter will be stopped; but the lights on the other side of the circuit will continue to burn. My invention aims to prevent the possibility of this occurrence; and to that end it consists in a mechanical circuit-breaker arranged to open the neutral line whenever the fuse in either of the side lines is blown. The preferred arrangement is a self-closing switch, such as a spring-actuated arm normall held inoperatlve by the fuse in the outside ine, but a apted to move and strike the neutral fuse whenever the fuse which holds said arm is destroyed. y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s a plan view of a fuse-box embodying my invention, the cover being removed to expose the fuses and the s ring-arms. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the inc 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig.

- 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1

The box 1 is of any suitable material and is rovided with a lid, which is not shown in the rawings. In two 0 posite sides of the box are three holes each m line with the one 0pposite to it. In each hole is an insulating-v ushing 2, supporting a tubular line-terminal socket 3, provided with set-screws 4. The

sockets in each pair may be separated by an air-s ace, or they may have their inner ends mec anically connected by an insulatingplug 5 Each pair of sockets is connected electrically by a fuse 6, the three fuses being erably the neutral.

Adf'acent to each of the outside fusesis a self-c osing switch, such as a spring-actuated I arm, preferably a piece of resilient wire 7,

having one end inserted in a hole in one of the sockets 3 and secured there by a set-screw 8. The arm is bent upward to ut it under tension, and it is retained in this position by'the fuse, which is preferably earned on theends of lugs 9, projecting from the sockets. free ends of the arms stand above the neutral, which ispreferably' arranged a little distance below them, as shown in Fig. 2. The arms areseparated from eachother and from the neutral fuse far enough to avoid any danger of a short-circuit between them.

In. case either of the outside fuses is blown it releases the arm bearing on it, which instantly flies down and makes contact with the neutral fuse, thereby short-circuiting the line and causing the neutral fuse to blow, so that the entire system is open-circuited. It will thus be impossible for a consumer to short-circuit one side of his line for the pure The pose of stopping his wattmeter without at 7 once opening the entire tating a replacing of the receive any more current What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with a three-wire system, of automatic means for closing a circuit between either of the outside lines and the neutral when the circuit of said outside line is broken.

2. The combination with a three-wire system, of automatic means for closing a circuit ses before he can 'between either of the outside lines and the neutral when a fuse blows in said outside line.

3. The combination with a three-wire system, of a self-closing switch between an outsideline and the neutral, and a thermal cutout in said outside line normally holding said switch open.

' 4. The combination with a three-wire system, of fuses in the several lines of the system, and a self-closing switch between an outsideline and the neutra1,.normal1y held open b the fuse in said line.

5. The combination with a threeswire syssglstem and necessitem, of a spring-arm ada ted to close the Cilfr. minal sockets, 0f fuses connecting each pair, cuit between an outside inc and the neutral, and'spring-arms secured to two of said pairs and a fuse in saidoutside line normally hold? and resting on the-fuses thereof and adapted ing said spring-arm inoperative, i when released by the blowing of said fuses to I 5 5 6 The combination with a three-wire 'sysmake contact wlth the fuse of the third pair.

tem, of fuses in the three'lines thereof, and in Witness whereof I have hereunto set my spring-arms attached to the outside lines and hand this 14th day of Julfi, 1905.

resting against the fuses therein, and adapted r Y PETER G. M0 GANTHALER.

When reieased to close the circuit between Witnesses: 10 said outside lines and the neutral-{ JAning' J. Wool),

7. The combination with three pairs of ter- FRANK MGMASTER. 

